Episode 8 - Words and Expressions Commonly Misused - All Right to Most - The Elements of Style - William Strunk, Jr

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Words and expressions commonly misused. All right, to most. Many of the words and expressions here listed are not so much bad English as bad style. The common places of careless writing as illustrated under feature, the proper correction is likely to be not replacement of one word or set of words by another, but the replacement of vague generality by definite statement. All right. Idiomatic in familiar speech as it attached phrase in the sense agreed or go ahead. In other uses, better avoided. Always written as two words. As good or better. The expressions of this type should be corrected by rearranging the sentence. My opinion is as good or better than his. My opinion is as good as his comma or better, if not better, as to weather. Weather is sufficient. See under rule 13. Bid takes the infinitive without two. The past tense is "bade." Case. The concise Oxford dictionary begins its definition of this word. Quote. Instance of a things occurring. Usual state of affairs. End quote. In these two senses, the word is usually unnecessary. In many cases comma, the rooms were poorly ventilated. Many of the rooms were poorly ventilated. It has rarely been the case that any mistake has been made. Few mistakes have been made. See Wood, suggestions to authors, pages 68 to 71, and Quiller Couch, the art of writing, pages 103 to 106. Certainly. Used indiscriminately by some speakers, much as others use vary to intensify any and every statement. A mannerism of this kind, bad in speech, is even worse in writing. Character. Often simply redundant. Used from a mere habit of wordiness. Acts of a hostile character. Hostal acts. Claim. Verb. With object noun means lay claim to. Maybe used with a dependent clause, if this sense is clearly involved. He claimed that he was the sole surviving heir. But even here, claim to be would be better. Not to be used as a substitute for declare, maintain, or charge. Compare. To compare to is to point out or imply resemblances between objects regarded as essentially of different order. To compare with is mainly to point out differences between objects regarded as essentially of the same order. Thus life has been compared to a pilgrimage, to a drama, to a battle. Congress may be compared with the British Parliament. Paris has been compared to ancient Athens. It may be compared with modern London. Clever. This word has been greatly overused. It is better restricted to ingenuity, displayed in small matters. Consider. Not followed by as when it means belief to be. I consider him thoroughly competent. Compare. The lecturer considered Cromwell first as soldier and second as administrator, where considered means examined or discussed. Dependable. A needless substitute for reliable, trustworthy. Due to, incorrectly used for through, because of, or owing to, in adverbial phrases, he lost the first game, comma, due to carelessness. In correct use, related as predicate or as modifier to a particular noun, this invention is due to Edison. Losses due to preventable fires. Effect. As noun means result. As verb means to bring about, accomplish, not to be confused with affect, which means to influence. As noun often loosely used in perfunctory writing about fashions, music, painting, and other arts. An oriental effect. Effects in pale green. Very delicate effects. Broad effects, subtle effects. A charming effect was produced by. The writer who has a definite meaning to express will not take refuge in such vagueness, etc. Not to be used of persons. Equivalent to, and the rest. And so forth. And hence not to be used, if one of these would be insufficient, that is, if the reader would be left in doubt, as to any important particulars. Least open to objection when it represents the last terms of a list already given in full, or immaterial words at the end of a quotation. At the end of a list introduced by such as, for example, or any similar expression, etc. is incorrect. Fact. Use this word only of matters of a kind, capable of direct verification, not of matters of judgment, that a particular event happened on a given date that led melts at a certain temperature are facts. But such conclusions as that Napoleon was the greatest of modern generals, or that the climate of California is delightful, however incontestable they may be, are not properly facts. On the formula, the fact that, see under rule 13, factor, a hackneyed word, the expressions of which it forms part, can usually be replaced by something more direct and idiomatic. His superior training was the great factor in his winning the match. He won the match by being better trained. Heavy artillery is becoming an increasingly important factor in deciding battles. Heavy artillery is playing a larger and larger part in deciding battles. Feature. Another hackneyed word, like factor, it usually adds nothing to the sentence in which it occurs. A feature of the entertainment, especially worthy of mention, was the singing of Miss A. Better use the same number of words to tell what Miss A sang, or if the program has already been given, to tell something of how she sang. As a verb in the advertising sense of "offer" as a special attraction to be avoided. Fix. Colloquial in America for a range-prepare mend. In writing restricted to its literary senses, fasten, make firm, or immovable, etc. He is a man who, a common type of redundant expression, see rule 13. He is a man who is very ambitious. He is very ambitious. Spain is a country which I have always wanted to visit. I have always wanted to visit Spain. However, in the meaning "nevertheless", not to come first in its sentence or clause. The roads were almost impossible, period. However, we at last succeeded in reaching camp. period, at last comma, however comma, we succeed it in reaching camp. When however comes first, it means in whatever way or to whatever extent. However you advise him comma, he will probably do as he thinks best. However discouraging the prospect comma, he never lost heart. Kind of, not to be used as a substitute for rather, before adjectives and verbs, or accept in familiar style for something like before nouns, restricted to its literal sense. Amber is a kind of fossil resin. I dislike that kind of notoriety. The same holds true of sort of. Less should not be misused for fewer. He had less men than in the previous campaign. He had fewer men than in the previous campaign. Less refers to quantity, fewer to number. His troubles are less than mine, means his troubles are not so great as mine. His troubles are fewer than mine, means his troubles are not so numerous as mine. It is however correct to say, the signers of the petition were less than a hundred, where the round number, a hundred, is something like a collective noun, and less is thought of as meaning a less quantity or a noun. Line along these lines. Line in the sense of course of procedure, conduct, thought, is allowable, but has been so much overworked, particularly in the phrase along these lines, that a writer who aims at freshness or originality had better discard it entirely. Mr. B also spoke along the same lines. Mr. B also spoke comma to the same effect. He is studying along the line of French literature. He is studying French literature. Literal, literally. Often incorrectly used in support of exaggeration or violent metaphor. A literal flood of abuse. A flood of abuse. Literally dead with fatigue. Almost dead with fatigue. Dead tired. Lose out. Men to be more emphatic than lose, but actually less so. Because of its commonness. The same holds true of try out. Win out, sign up, register up. With a number of verbs out and up, form idiomatic combinations. Find out, run out, turn out, cheer up, dry up, make up, and others. Each distinguishable in meaning from the simple verb, lose out is not. Most. Not to be used for almost. Most everybody. Almost everybody. Most all the time. Almost all the time. End of section 8. Winning never sounded so good. What would you do if you want big? Hi, this is Michael from Georgia I 140K and finally renovated my home. Visit crowncoins.com. Sign up in seconds, enter code crown and get a free lucky wheel bonus. Crowncoins.com. That's C-R-O-W-N-Coins.com. No purchase needed. Code valve for new users only. Void were repeated by law. 18 plus terms and conditions apply. Happy birthday, America. It's time to celebrate and play your favorite Las Vegas casino games by AmericanOedSpinQuest.com. What's better than fireworks in American pie? Hitting a black tech in the palm of your hand and you won't lose your fingers. 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